Why some people don’t contract COVID-19 despite close contact with positive cases

A leading epidemiologist has shed some light on why some people seemingly never contract COVID-19, despite coming into close contact with positive cases.

It comes as the Omicron wave continues to sweep through Melbourne, with 10,293 testing positive in the last 24 hours.

Professor Catherine Bennett, Chair of Epidemiology at Deakin University, told Tony Jones it’s more than the luck of the draw.

“We do think that some people have better genes around their immune system,” she told Tony Jones on 3AW Mornings.

“So a stronger immune system that can cope and respond faster, that can help knock an infection on the head before it really gets a foothold.

“So there will be some people who are just better at fighting off the virus.”

Professor Bennett said while a stronger immune system may be the case for some people, it could also be people have been infected and not known.

“We know they’re a quite a few asymptomatic infections,” she said.

“And so it could be that some people think they’ve got away with it and haven’t been infected, even if they do a rapid antigen test and get a negative.

“But you’ll miss some infections testing the rapid antigen tests, particularly if they’re asymptomatic.”

PRess PLAY to hear more from Professor Catherine Bennett below

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